The present invention is directed to end caps for bicycle control cables and, more specifically, to an end cap which can be used to lubricate exposed ends of the control cable.
Bicycle control cables ordinarily comprise an inner cable which slides back and forth within an outer casing. The inner cable is sometimes lubricated to reduce friction between the inner cable and outer casing for smooth operation, and the control cable often contains end caps which seal the locations where the inner cable emerges from the outer casing to prevent contaminants from entering the space between the inner cable and outer casing.
Control cables are usually sold by the component maker precut to size with the end caps installed at the factory. However, different lengths of control cable are often used for different bicycles, and it is not feasible for bicycle repair shops to stock all the different sizes of factory replacement control cables. Also, bicycle manufacturers must meet strict production deadlines, and if the component maker can not supply the proper length cable in time, then the manufacturer would be unable to produce the completed bicycles. Consequently, both bicycle makers and bicycle shops often buy the inner cable and outer casing in bulk and cut the inner cable and outer casing stock to fabricate replacement control cables themselves. While this procedure helps the bicycle manufacture avoid production delays and helps the bicycle shop avoid stocking excessive inventory, the replacement cables can be difficult to fabricate because it is difficult to effectively lubricate the resulting control cable. For example, there often is a very small gap between the inner cable and outer casing, thus making it difficult to properly instill the lubricant. The lubricant often clings to the outside of the outer casing and must be wiped off. If the lubricant is added to the end cap before the end cap is placed on the cable, then the lubricant often leaks from the opening in the end cap before and during installation, thus creating a big mess. Clearly, a method and apparatus for easily lubricating such control cables is much desired.